Writing minutes of meeting is not the most glamorous job in this universe, but it doesn’t mean you can just scribble down anything you like. Also, assuming that writing minutes is the job only for Secretary is not entirely correct.
A versatile executive would have no qualm in taking the responsibility to write the minutes of a meeting, either in place of an absent Secretary or just be part of the company’s culture to assign any of the meeting participants jotting down the minutes. As much as you hate meeting just like I do, getting yourself familiar with the minute writing is not the worst thing to do.
Here are some tips in writing effective meeting minutes.
1. Know the purpose
Before writing minutes, you must know the purpose of it. First, a report of meeting minutes is a record. But it is just not the type of record you write, print out, file and then forever forget. It provides a historical account of official business and operational decisions, and involvement of people making the decisions. It is used as a reference which is periodically, or frequently referred to. Sometimes, minutes of meeting can become a legal document and evidence in court. So, don’t play play.
2. Keep it concise
Keep the key information in order and make sure you don’t miss critical info. You only have certain limited time and it will be impossible to write every single thing discussed during a meeting. So, keep it concise, i.e. compact and short. Take notes of the issues discussed, major points raised and decisions taken. Make sure what you write will be easily understood, and usable in the future. Keep in mind, many of the meetings require the attendees looking back at the previous meeting’s minutes. So if people can’t read them, they’ll go for your head instead.
3. Get right info, follow right format
To keep it short, here are list information that should be in your minutes of meeting:
- Time, date and venue of meeting
- List of attendance (and their position)
- Agenda of meeting – key agenda, details, and specific action plan, and owner/executor of the plan
- Name of person taking minutes (you!)
As for the format, there is no school of thought that says there is this specific format that you need to follow. What you need is a simple and user friendly format. You can follow the following:
[Name of company]
[Date, Time and Venue]
[Minutes prepared by]
[Agenda]:
1.
2.
3.
[Attendees]:
1.
2.
3.
[Details of meetings]
| No | Item | Details | Actions to be taken by |
| 1 | |||
| 2 | |||
| 3 | |||
| 4 |
4. Keep a record
Normally, after minutes are hand-written, they are transferred into a proper computerized document (e.g. Microsoft Word or Excel), properly restructured, save and printed out. Good and fast typists can immediately record conversation into the computer/laptop, where this requires less time for fine tuning later on. The minutes are then distributed among the attendees of the meeting, or those who will be responsible to take actions as per discussed during the meeting.
Samples of meeting minutes are to come. Stay tuned.
Image: Athensohio.com
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- How to Write a Cover Letter
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- Worker Sacked for Writing Emails in Capitals
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17 comments ↓
[...] explained before, there is no specific format that you must follow in order for you to write and complete minutes of [...]
good expalined but i need it for a web development company
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We i think the format depends on each company’ strategy’s however thank for providing ideas
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Hello. This may be a question with an obvious answer (but I need to ask for my own peace of mind) — when a Worker group asked for Minutes of a meeting that took place between Management and Workers — the Management team said “Our National Manager was frazzled/stressed during the meeting – and now he wants to add some things//comments to the Minutes before they are sent out to everyone”.
Correct me if I am wring — but Minutes are meant ot be an accurate record of comments//actions during the meeting —— Minutes are not a document that one side can manipulate after both parties have left the discussion table?
Or otherwise — then the Minutes are a somewhat worthless and inaccurate (or worse) deliberately misleading document that may then be made to reduce the rights of one party?
Thanks
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Zul reply on January 19th, 2009:
You are correct.
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I am told I need to put quote marks around motions, I have never done this but am willing is this the norm.
also when there are additions or corrections I add them to the minutes I am reading which are of course the previous meeting. I have been told they must be in the present meeting If the minutes I am reading are not approved until after I read and receive the additions and corrections I felt they went into the one I was reading. This is for a non profit organization and we are all volunteers. Thanks for the feed back
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does the minute writer have to include names of speakers during minuting?
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mustapha reply on April 9th, 2010:
yes, the minute writer must write down name of speakers in a meeting
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Omogbolahan Babs reply on July 20th, 2010:
While I want to agree with the submission of Mustapha above, I want stress the fact that minutes of a meeting refers to the summary of what is discussed therein. It does not necessarily mean, the rapporteur has to write what every other person says. What if three of four people say the same thing in different parlance, does the secretary have to write what each speaker say? The answer is ‘No’!
Simply put, minutes is summary of what is discussed in a meeting and what action (s) is/are to be carried out subsequently
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What kind of tense form should we use in writing minutes?
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indra reply on June 30th, 2010:
tell me how to put the words and the person who voice out the matter
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This is realy important. I have a test tomorrow and I haven’t learned anything!!
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hye…the letter that u write very nice
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can you lpease send me a sample of minuts takens at a meeting? specifically a company between M.D and staff.
also a church between the branch head of a church and the leaders of the various institutions in the church. and how to insert a the names of a comment made by the speakes. i want to see how a minuts if different from a report.
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please, send a sample of minutes writiing at a group’s meeting.
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On which tense should minutes be taken.
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I think minute written is like using words to paint a picture while editing a draft minute is like a carpenter using a plane to smoothen the edges of a woodwork.reading the final minutes is like picking each word as one would pick and eat pop corn out of a bag
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